October 17, 2006

Felicity Huffman, Regina King and Rosario Dawson and others participate in new PSA Campaign encouraging single women to vote.

LOS ANGELES - Felicity Huffman likes to do it in the morning; Tyne Daly first did it in 1968 - the "Summer of Love"; Angie Harmon researched all the possible positions; and Regina King has done it in other people's houses.

Are these Hollywood actresses really dishing about their first time? You bet - their first time in the voting booth.

In a new public service announcement campaign sponsored by the non-partisan organization Women's Voices. Women Vote. some of Hollywood's leading actresses describe the empowerment that came with casting their first ballots. The actresses hope to motivate the 20 million American women on their own - single, divorced and widowed - who didn't vote in the last election to go to the polls on November 7.

To view the public service announcements, click here.

Women on their own make up the largest bloc of non-voters in the nation, and are the largest and fastest growing demographic in America today. In fact, almost half of all women in the country are on their own. A front-page New York Times story last week, based on an analysis of new census figures, confirmed that single households are now the national majority. According to the story, the potential social and economic implications are "profound."

While 27 million single women did vote in 2004, these single women are still among the least likely to register or vote on Election Day. And in mid-term elections, they are much more likely than married women to "drop-off." In fact, 7 million women, or 24% of single women who voted in 2004, are expected to stay home from the polls in 2006.

"With recent elections hinging on little more than half a million votes nationally, single women have more power than they realize - or exercise," said Page Gardner, Founder and President of Women's Voices. Women Vote. "It's time to change that."

Felicity Huffman, Rosario Dawson, Angie Harmon, Marg Helgenberger and Lauren Graham are among the actresses who have contributed their talents to this campaign, speaking passionately about the importance of single women voting.

"The right to vote is a privilege and a strength, and we should use it," said actress Rosario Dawson.

Actress Felicity Huffman echoed that sentiment saying, "I'm so glad and so grateful to be an American. I think one of the essential responsibilities is voting so that our voice is heard; that we actually can make a difference."

The PSAs are part of a broader campaign by Women's Voices. Women Vote. to register and encourage single women to vote on November 7. The organization has registration and mobilization programs in 17 states across the country - including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Ohio and Pennsylvania. WVWV also partners with other nonprofit organizations and shares its resources to increase the effectiveness and impact of voter mobilization programs.

Women's Voices. Women Vote. is a non-partisan organization created to activate unmarried Americans to participate in their government and in our democracy.

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